Navy to Move Chaplain School from Army Base to Improve ‘Sailorization’

By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy intends to move its training of chaplains from an Army base back to a naval station, where the training was once conducted, in order to provide chaplain students an environment of naval culture.

In an Aug. 10 internal directive, the Navy has directed that the Naval Chaplaincy School and Center be moved from Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, effective March 1.

The move, a request of the commander, Navy Education and Training Command, is being made to “provide new accession chaplain students the formative opportunities of naval culture and ‘sailorization’ which they are not getting at current location on an Army base,” the directive said. “Newport is the location for all initial Navy training for professional personnel becoming naval officers, such as doctors and lawyers, and was previously the site for the chaplaincy school before consolidation of all chaplain training at Fort Jackson.”

The Navy also approved moving the training of the enlisted personnel who assist chaplains. The “A” School for the Religious Professional rating will from Fort Jackson to Naval Air Station Meridian, Mississippi.